FISHING NETS, WITH SPECIAL PREFERENCE TO THE OTTER-TRAWL. 577 



rows immediately behind the foot-rope. The more yielding or " give " 

 the meshes in these rows have, the more likely are they to jump the 

 obstacle or break it off. This greater elasticity is provided for by 

 the flying-mesh. It is specially useful in the wings, because any 

 obstacle that catches the net will there strike the mesh on the side, 

 i.e. at its weakest part, and might break across a long series of meshes. 

 Such a tear is about the most awkward to mend the fisherman can have. 

 With the flying-mesh the tear tends to be along the mesh, i.e. the 

 course of braiding, and it is soon mended. It is evident further that 

 in the bosom the flying-mesh is vmnecessary. The ground-rope is next 

 made fast and stretched out as was done to the net and balch, and 

 the balch is then fastened or "balched on" to it. As a rule 10 to 

 20 ft. of bosom are allowed on the foot-rope, so that the 100 meshes 

 are to be gathered together, in threes, and their balch-line distributed 

 uniformly over the 10 to 20 ft. The fisherman is guided by the turns 

 in the rounding of the ground-rope where to fix the "setting." It 

 is generally every third turn for the balching of the bosom. In 

 balching the wings the foot-rope is often marked by chalk-lines where 

 the settings have to go. Experienced hands, however, are guided by 

 the turns in the ground-rope, about every seventh to begin with, until 

 they see how much slack they have, and then fix according to their 

 liking. Three to four of the " staplings " on the balch-line are included 

 in a setting, and the settings are wider apart near the end of the wings 

 than at the quarters. 



The head-line and the top part of the net are set up for balching in 

 a similar fashion, but there are no flying-meshes * nor balch-line. The 

 square and the top-wings are marled on directly to the head-line with 

 double twine. The square has very little slack given it ; the slack is 

 put into the wings. The result of this is that when the trawl is moving 

 through the water the wings are greatly distended at each side, thus 

 tending to keep the mouth of the bag open wide. If the slack were 

 put into the head of the square, the head-line would dip in the centre 

 from the weight of the net behind. 



When the net has been fixed in the fashion described, attention has 

 to be paid constantly, when fishing, to the condition of things at the 

 quarters. These are where the square and top-wings (or belly and 

 bottom-wings) meet on the head-line (or ground-rope). These are 

 made specially strong with double meshes, as already described ; and 

 if the net has been badly fixed or shrinks unequally, they soon show 

 it. If the square is too much stretched, it will break away from the 

 head-rope at the quarters ; the to])-wing has then to be unlaced from 



* The flying-mesh may also be present in the top-wings. 



